# Don't mix "water enhancer" with alcoholic beverages. Why not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 4, 2013, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449 "2013-12-04T07:19:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/21 "2021-04-22T15:53:28Z")
I like your thinking, but in many Mexican restaurants in the US, they add PGA (pure grain alcohol) to their margaritas for that extra kick. In many of these places, their food even taste much better after you’ve had a couple of their margaritas. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/22 "2021-04-22T16:10:09Z")
I’m seeing reports that artificial sweeteners could make alcohol hit the bloodstream faster. Perhaps that’s the concern. [Artificial Sweeteners Affect Alcohol](https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20060522/artificial-sweeteners-affect-alcohol#:~:text=May%2022%2C%202006%20%2D%2D%20Scientists,compared%20with%20those%20containing%20sugar). ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/23 "2021-04-22T16:13:23Z")
> [@aiimeepaiige](#): > > Last night i grabbed one to bring out with me and i picked up a energy one not thinking much of it (also not reading the label) i only had three drinks and put 2-3 squirts in each one. Within 30 minutes of when i finished my third one i was incapacitated and vomiting non stop, i couldn’t hold my head up and was nodding out off of seltzers that any other time wouldve given me a buzz. I don’t doubt your experience, but I’m wondering if the mio was just a coincidence. Your experience sounds very similar to when a drink was spiked with something. Perhaps the mio helped mask any odd taste and you didn’t notice. I know other energy drinks like Red Bull are commonly added to alcohol, so it seems unlikely that a few drops of mio would be able to do this. But you never know. I’m sure you won’t be doing that again after that experience! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/24 "2021-04-22T16:26:49Z")
Anyone remember the original Four Loko (no longer available). Big tall cans with 14% ABV and caffeine. One day I bought two cans and took them out in my kayak. WooHoo! ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/25 "2021-04-24T12:38:08Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > ’m seeing reports that artificial sweeteners could make alcohol hit the bloodstream faster. Perhaps that’s the concern. > [Artificial Sweeteners Affect Alcohol](https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20060522/artificial-sweeteners-affect-alcohol#:~:text=May%2022%2C%202006%20%2D%2D%20Scientists,compared%20with%20those%20containing%20sugar). One would imagine that after millions upon millions of rum and diet colas have been consumed this effect would have been noticed long ago were it significant. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/26 "2021-04-24T13:22:08Z")
I wondered if a reaction might take place, like how it’s fine to use bleach in your laundry and it’s fine to use ammonia, but not together. > [@Bill\_Door](#): > > One would imagine that after millions upon millions of rum and diet colas have been consumed this effect would have been noticed long ago were it significant. Interesting study: > “Alcohol consumed with a diet mixer results in higher BrACs as compared to the same amount of alcohol consumed with a sugar-sweetened mixer,” said Marczinski. “The subjects were unaware of this difference, as measured by various subjective ratings including feelings of intoxication, impairment, and willingness to drive. Moreover, their behavior was more impaired when subjects consumed the diet mixer.” and > Both Marczinski and Thombs were concerned about the risk that diet mixers can pose for alcohol-impaired driving. “In this study, subjects felt the same whether they drank the diet or regular mixed alcoholic beverage,” said Marczinski. "However, they were above the limit of .08 when they consumed the diet mixer, and below it when they drank the regular mixed beverage. > **[Alcohol mixed with diet drinks may increase intoxication more than alcohol...](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130205162524.htm)** > > A person's breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) after drinking is influenced by factors such as food. New findings show that mixing alcohol with a diet soft drink can result in a higher BrAC than mixing alcohol with a regular or sugar-sweetened drink.... ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/27 "2021-04-24T14:04:04Z")
Yeah, I read it. Doesn’t it seem like the correct conclusion is not that there’s some hitherto unnoticed interaction between artificial sweeteners and alcohol but rather that there’s a well known and long documented interaction between carbohydrates and alcohol? Brought to you by the medical journal “DUH”. Had they added artificial sweetener to vodka and compared it to vodka alone that might have proved the point they thought they made. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/28 "2021-04-24T14:12:55Z")
I didn’t get that they thought there was an interaction between them. It says: > Thombs explained that the stomach seems to treat sugar-sweetened beverages like food, which delays the stomach from emptying. “The best way to think about these effects is that sugar-sweetened alcohol mixers slow down the absorption of alcohol into bloodstream,” he said. “Artificially sweetened alcohol mixers do not really elevate alcohol intoxication. Rather, the lack of sugar simply allows the rate of alcohol absorption to occur without hindrance.” ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/29 "2021-04-24T14:27:42Z")
Exactly, so that being said, the “Don’t mix “water enhancer” with alcoholic beverages” in the OP seems to have no basis in fact. It’s like aspirin and coke getting you drunk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449.md?page=1)